Kisses from Kenya is a social podcast hosted by Brendan and Vuyanzi, two Americans living in Nairobi who see the world through different identities, but share a love of fun chats and tender honesty. One is a gay white American, the other is a Black American, both learning what it means to live far from home while carrying everything that shaped them.
Here you will find candid conversations about identity shifts, contradictions, and the odd freedom that comes from living beyond the USA but never escaping it.
It is funny, thoughtful, occasionally chaotic, and always grounded in lived experience.
Kisses from Kenya is produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya, but this channel is a social space for personal stories and reflections. Nothing said here represents the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.
New episodes weekly(ish) on all Podcast platforms and YouTube. Stay with us as we explore what it means to love, live, vote, and reinvent ourselves a long way from home!
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Karmelo Anthony. 35 years. Nolan Wells. Trayvon Martin. Ahmaud Arbery. A 16-year-old from the DRC found hanging in early June. A 21-year-old in Georgia in February. Brendan and Vuyanzi sit with Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" - and the devastating reality that the song still applies. The question at the end of this episode is not rhetorical: where do we actually go from here?
In this episode:
Opening conversation - Karmelo Anthony sentenced to 35 years; self-defence, race, and the justice system; Nolan's case
Deep Dive - adultification of Black children; the pattern from Trayvon to Ahmaud to the names we don't hear enough; Black people going missing and being found dead like Nolan Wells and the silence that surrounds it; "Strange Fruit" and the bitter reality that this conversation has not moved as far as it should have
The question - we keep repeating this. Where do we go from here?
Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Subscribe and hit the bell so you don't miss an episode.
About the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.
Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at @KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.
Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!
Dine Out for Democracy is happening, the U.S. has struck over 90 coastal targets in Iran after Trump ends the ceasefire, and the World Cup host nations just got knocked out of their own tournament in spectacular fashion. Oh, and Trump personally called FIFA to get a red card suspension overturned. Because of course he did.
In this episode:
Opening conversation - Dine Out for Democracy lands as a DAKE event; the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, and a deal that keeps not happening; U.S. strikes as the ceasefire collapses
Whose America Is It Anyway? - World Cup host nations eliminated: Canada 3-0 to Morocco, Mexico 3-2 to England, USMNT 4-1 to Belgium; FIFA rescinds a red card suspension for U.S. striker Folarin Balogun following direct pressure from President Trump; European MPs and global football critics are not having it. Also: the Knicks, Congo, and the fandoms that connect us
Lost in Translation - Vuyanzi on belly culture, flat tummy obsession, and the quiet liberation of letting that go; Brendan on "I love seeing you enjoy our local foods" - compliment or something else entirely?
All Joy Matters - Queer Joy: sleeping with a bag boy; Black Joy: watching New York City celebrate, Spike Lee, Mariska Hargitay and all
Democrats Abroad Kenya, Iran ceasefire 2026, World Cup 2026, FIFA Trump, Dine Out for Democracy, Black diaspora podcast, American abroad Nairobi, New York Knicks, African diaspora, living in Kenya
Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Subscribe and join the conversation.
About the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.
Things get personal this week. A kiss changes everything - or does it? Vuyanzi shares a moment that has her rethinking her whole approach to dating, which opens up a bigger and messier question: do you go looking for something serious, or do you wait for it to find you? Brendan and Vuyanzi do not agree, and it gets interesting.
In this episode:
The big debate - "try it before you buy it" versus "teach it when you reach it": two positions, zero consensus, and the accidental revelation that one host is a toxic Sagittarius and the other a toxic Gemini
Deep Dive - the grey zone between friends with benefits and something more: how do you know when feelings have shifted, and why is it so hard to say it out loud?
Queer & Black Joy - Vuyanzi meets a restaurateur and comes away with a story worth telling; Brendan revisits an old boo who almost became a new boo
Democrats Abroad Kenya | Dating abroad | Expat relationships | Black diaspora podcast | American abroad Nairobi | Love and relationships Kenya | Queer dating Africa | Expat life Kenya
Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Subscribe and find your people.
About the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.
Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at and on all Podcast Platforms.
Sometimes you laugh because the alternative is crying. This week Brendan and Vuyanzi sit with the weight of global conflict, the strange experience of being American abroad when the world wants to talk about U.S. politics, and a PSA that needs to be said: please do not move to Kenya just because you heard it's cheap.
In this episode:
Opening - Vuyanzi reflects on possibly winding down her weekly solo live stream and what the space has meant
Deep Dive - war, global events, and how differently they land depending on where you are and who you are; why Brendan keeps getting pulled into conversations about U.S. politics abroad while Vuyanzi doesn't experience that same dynamic
PSA - moving to Kenya for the wrong reasons: a frank conversation for anyone considering it
Queer & Black Joy - Vuyanzi finds joy in the shallow end of a comment section that could have hit much harder; Brendan brings stories from a wedding, a photo, and a mysterious man from the past
Democrats Abroad Kenya | Moving to Kenya | Expat life Nairobi | American abroad Africa | U.S. foreign policy | Black diaspora podcast | Queer expat Kenya | War and politics 2026
Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Subscribe and hit the bell so you don't miss an episode.
EPISODE 14: The Strength of Women... According to Who?
From Brendan's VCR days watching The Color Purple to Vuyanzi being told she was "arguing" simply for using her voice - this episode gets into the gap between celebrating women's strength and actually letting women be strong. Two generations, two very different lenses, one conversation worth having.
In this episode:
Deep Dive - The Color Purple across generations: what a Gen X woman and a Millennial man each saw in that story, and what that gap reveals about how we talk about women's strength today
Whose America Is It Anyway? - the rise of women in the U.S. and Kenya, and the tension between progress and the pressure to stay in a certain place
Queer & Black Joy - Vuyanzi's real-time Black joy moment; Brendan's boda love chase story, which you genuinely need to hear
Democrats Abroad Kenya | Women's rights | Black diaspora podcast | American abroad Nairobi | The Color Purple | Kenyan women | Expat life Kenya | Gen X Millennial divide | U.S. politics from Africa
Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Subscribe and join the conversation.
EPISODE 13: When They Go Low, Do We REALLY Go High?
Michelle Obama gave us the mantra. But in 2026, Brendan and Vuyanzi are asking the harder question: is going high actually costing us something? As the late Flint City Council Member Eric Mays put it rather memorably - when they go low, we go lower. Is he onto something?
In this episode:
Whose America Is It Anyway? - the queer community's reaction to a "they/them" joke in the Scary Movie 6 trailer: is this the right hill to die on? Plus Deon Cole, Nicki Minaj, and the kind of threats that tell you everything about the moment we're in
Deep Dive - an ICE agent throws a woman to the ground in Vermont; Florida passes a sweeping anti-LGBTQ bill; where exactly is the high road and who does it serve?
Queer & Black Joy - Brendan does tarot reading at a Queer Artists Flea Market; Vuyanzi has a moment with her sister about Camp Glen Spay
Democrats Abroad Kenya | LGBTQ rights Florida | ICE immigration 2026 | Black diaspora podcast | Queer expat Africa | American abroad Nairobi | U.S. politics from Kenya | Michelle Obama when they go low
Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Subscribe and hit the bell so you don't miss an episode.
Is the grass actually greener on the other side - or does it just look that way from here? Brendan and Vuyanzi sit with the uncomfortable feeling that the right seems energised, emboldened, and utterly unbothered while everyone else scrambles to keep up. Plus: what a four-day work week in Pakistan and the Philippines tells us about who's really driving global economics right now.
In this episode:
Whose America Is It Anyway? - Democratic senators invoke the War Powers Act over Cuba; how U.S. policy is quietly triggering a four-day work week in Pakistan and the Philippines
Lost in Translation - American friends versus Kenyan friends: do our friendships get lost in translation when we relocate? A Kenyan woman who lived in Boston weighs in, and the conversation gets into romantic relationships too
Queer & Black Joy - Brendan sleeps his way into a better flight during a Boston blizzard; Vuyanzi attends an intergenerational women's brunch
Democrats Abroad Kenya | Expat life Nairobi | U.S. foreign policy | War Powers Act | Global economy | Black diaspora podcast | American abroad Kenya | Kenyan expat community | Four day work week
Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Subscribe and join the conversation.
Is what's happening in America truly unprecedented - or have we been here before? Vuyanzi and Brendan pull back the lens on patterns of injustice, the centering of whiteness in political outrage, and the question of who gets to be shocked. Fair warning: the cynicism is showing, and we're not sorry.
In this episode:
Whose America Is It Anyway? - ICE, CBP crime statistics, and the headlines making us pause
Lost in Translation - natural scent, cultural memory, and a story about what it means when your body is the controversy
Deep Dive - the centering of white reactions to injustice: who says "I can't believe this" and why that matters
Queer & Black Joy - IShowSpeed and the joy of discovering artists you didn't know you needed
Democrats Abroad Kenya | Expat politics | African diaspora podcast | Black American abroad | Queer diaspora | ICE and immigration | U.S. politics from abroad | Nairobi expat
Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Subscribe and hit the bell so you don't miss an episode.
They're back. After a longer-than-planned break, Vuyanzi and Brendan return to find the news cycle hasn't waited for anyone - and neither has the question of what "home" actually means anymore. 2026 opens with a lot to catch up on and one big question at the centre of it all.
In this episode:
Whose America Is It Anyway? - a full rundown of what you missed: ICE, Kendrick at the Grammys, nuclear treaties, the Guthrie disappearance, and more
Lost in Translation - the unspoken rules of flying home: middle seats, plane drinks, and the etiquette nobody writes down
Deep Dive - what happens when you go back and home doesn't feel the same? Disconnection, cold weather, the news, and the shifting definition of where you belong
Queer & Black Joy - an all-Black crew on Kenya Airways, and why that moment deserves its own segment
Democrats Abroad Kenya | Expat life | Returning home | Black diaspora | American abroad | Nairobi podcast | Kenyan expat community | U.S. politics 2026
Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. New to the show? Subscribe and join a growing community asking the same questions you are.
What's the difference between morals and morale - and why does living abroad make that question suddenly urgent? Brendan and Vuyanzi connect the FBI's fear-based collapse, press freedom under attack, and the cultural standards you didn't know you'd inherited until Kenya quietly rewrote them.
In this episode:
Whose America Is It Anyway? - the FBI under Kash Patel and why morale in a federal agency matters to all of us; the New York Times sues the Pentagon over press access rules
Lost in Translation - things that are polite in America that land as strange in Kenya, and vice versa
Deep Dive - how morals shape the emotional climate around you; what living abroad reveals about the moral code you were handed; how Kenya has quietly shifted what both hosts value
Queer & Black Joy - community gatherings, unexpected connection, and a Black woman making historical fiction podcasts
Democrats Abroad Kenya | Expat life Africa | Kash Patel FBI | Press freedom 2026 | Black diaspora podcast | American values abroad | Nairobi expat community | Queer Africa
Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Enjoying the show? Share it with someone else living abroad who's asking the same questions. Subscribe for new episodes.
Découvrez des podcasts liées à Kisses from Kenya. Explorez des podcasts avec des thèmes, sujets, et formats similaires. Ces similarités sont calculées grâce à des données tangibles, pas d'extrapolations !
Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at @KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.
Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!
About the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.
Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at @KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.
Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!
About the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.
Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at @KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.
Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!
About the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.
Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at @KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.
Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!
About the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.
Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at @KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.
Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!
About the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.
Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at @KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.
Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!
About the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.
Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at @KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.
Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!
About the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.
Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at @KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.
Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!
